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Spirit of The Seasons: Subdivision neighbors help couple spruce up home for holiday tour

Carolyn Golsenger points out Mom’s Country Store, one of her favorites of the handpainted chalk miniature houses she made that grace the hall and foyer of her Redlands home. Golsenger’s house will be one of those featured in the Grand Junction Symphony’s Holiday Home Tour this weekend.

QUICKREAD

Holiday Tour of Homes

What: Fundraiser for the Grand Junction Symphony Guild.

When: Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets: $15 each, can be purchased at the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra office in the Alpine Bank Building and at City Market, Albertsons and Safeway stores. The tour is of four homes and the Two Rivers Winery and Chateau.

Carolyn and Carl Glosenger, with a little help from their neighbors in The Seasons subdivision, are planning to open their beautiful southwest-style stucco home to the community Saturday as part of the Grand Junction Symphony Guild’s annual Holiday Tour of Homes.

The Glosengers are retired from the telecommunications business in Seattle and have been living in the Grand Valley for five years. Many of their Christmas decorations were downsized when they moved to the area, but their friendly neighbors at The Seasons have loaned them items to help decorate their home for the tour.

“The whole Seasons community has stepped up to help us decorate,” Carolyn Glosenger said.

In their move from Seattle, the Glosengers saved only their most cherished ornaments, which are on display inside the home’s foyer and on their Christmas tree.

Visitors will enjoy the Christmas village that includes 17 hand-painted buildings, snow-dusted trees and figurines. One of the buildings is named “Sarah’s Store” after their daughter, and another is named after their son, Scott.

“It was just the four of us in Seattle, so we had to make our own holiday traditions,” Glosenger said.

She and her children would always decorate the tree together, while her husband was in charge of the hot chocolate.

“All of our decorations have a story,” Glosenger said as she pointed out special ornaments on the tree.

One bedroom is decorated in a pine-cone theme. Their son, Scott, an artist, was assigned to draw pine cones in college. “Now he hates pine cones, so we always get him a little gag gift of pine cones,” Glosenger said with a laugh.

The office displays handmade angels, made from wood and copper, which were donated to the display by Seasons neighbor Tom Kokal.

Another neighbor and Symphony Guild member, Jennifer Sullivan, donated more than 30 nutcrackers for decorating another bedroom in the home.

Most of the decorating was done by Glosenger and her friend Barbara Meuwly.

Not only will the tour showcase the new home, but it also will give visitors holiday decorating ideas and an appreciation for the effort that some people make to create really special memories for their families, Carl Glosenger said.

Visitors will be provided complimentary coffee and can buy holiday treats at a bake sale held by the guild.

All proceeds benefit the symphony’s educational programs including the Children’s Concert that is performed annually for more than 2,000 local schoolchildren.

The tour is sponsored by The Daily Sentinel and Karen Madsen of Merrill Lynch.

The tour will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Four homes and a tour of Two Rivers Winery and Chateau are included in the cost of the $15 ticket. Tickets are available at the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra office in the Alpine Bank Building and local City Market, Albertsons and Safeway stores.